Living From an Open Heart

"Under normal circumstances, our state of openness is left to psychological factors.  Basically, we are taught to open or close based on past experiences.  Impressions from the past are still inside of us, and they get stimulated by different events." Michael Singer

I misspoke of the book title I was reading -- it is the untethered soul by Michael Singer.  It is very good.  It is simple and practical and helps us to know that our reactions - which close our hearts - are based on experiences we have had before and whose energetic remnants remain within us.  An example is when you start to say something and the person with you talks over you, you might be taken back to a time in childhood when that happened and you did not feel heard.  The experiences can be either positive or negative, but if we are hooked by them instead of observing them, our heart's energy will close down.  This is something I can actually feel physically - not just in my heart, but in my whole body.  The point seems to be to live from a point of observing neutrally, so that we can live from a place of more love toward ourselves and others.